This application claims priority from German Application No. 100 51 512.6 filed Oct. 17, 2000 which is incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a vehicle roof for passenger cars, station wagons, and similar motor vehicles.
In the automotive industry, the conventional design of motor vehicles is being changed more and more by the use of modules. Thus, car doors, instrument panels, and even lift gates are being produced with a modular design.
It is the objective of the invention to create another modular vehicle component that simplifies the manufacture of a motor vehicle.
To solve the above-described objective in accordance with the present invention, a vehicle roof for passenger cars, station wagons, and similar motor vehicles is proposed, which is comprised of a prefabricated roof module having at least a roof outer panel and a roof liner with roof rails arranged thereon.
The particular advantage of the present invention is the ability to incorporate the roof rails into a modular vehicle roof component.
With the modular roof of the present invention, the roof rails are preferably fastened on the roof module via a fastening system comprised of gluing, soldering, welding, screwing, or riveting. This has the advantage of eliminating the expense associated with designs for balancing tolerances between a roof panel and a recess within the vehicle roof.
As a particular advantage, it can moreover be provided that the roof rails on the side wall sections of the roof module extend in an approximately parallel alignment to each other above the roof outer panel and travel through openings in the roof module with lengthened end sections that form an angle or that are bent. The end sections of the roof rails can each be fastened to front body pillars, such as A-pillars, and rear body pillars, such as D-pillars. The lengthened end sections of the roof rails can each be fastened to the body pillars by an adhesive, solder, weld, screw, or similar connection. A particular advantage of this is that each roof rail in its entirety becomes a supporting part (i.e., structural part) of a motor vehicle, which reinforces the vehicle structure from the A-pillar to the C-pillar or D-pillar for example. The forces operating on the roof rail in operation are thereby passed directly into the vehicle frame and no longer across the roof into the side panels and into the vehicle frame as with present day roof rails. Extra and expensive reinforcements in the roof frame, as required in present day vehicles, can be partially or even completely eliminated. Another advantage is that the roof rails can better cope with the forces occurring in an accident involving rollover, so that their effect has a character similar to that of a roll bar. In regard to design, the roof rails can be provided with a surface finish on the visible portions (i.e., outside the vehicle structure) and function in the same character as conventional roof rails.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a roof module wherein the roof rails each comprise at least one center post arranged thereon. Additional reinforcements can be provided on each roof rail underneath the center posts, the reinforcements then being fastened to the roof frame or to the B-pillars or C-pillars of a motor vehicle body. This results in additional stiffening of the body and even more effectively transmits forces acting on the roof rails into the vehicle body.